Growing up, I was fortunate enough to be raised in a household full of strong, black womyn. Black womyn who meant what they said and didn't take sh*t from anyone! These black, independent womyn took the morals and values that were instilled in them, and graciously passed them down to me. Being a black womyn in society is one of the hardest and scariest things that I have encountered, next to being a black womyn attending a PWI to pursue a medical profession. In a world where the womyn is seen as inferior to the man, I have to wonder what then is the place of the black womyn. In a world where we can't even identify as being a woMAN without acknowledging a man, how do we define being a black woman in the 21st century America?
I am forever grateful and thankful for what impact Sojourner Truth's work had on my life and the climate of Women's Rights movement today, so I decided to dive into her perspective on what it meant to be a womyn; a black womyn. And even though she had such stern tone and following of supporters, her original meaning of "Ain't I a Womyn" was quickly derailed by someone who should have been uplifting her and carrying her through this movement; another womyn. It is my hope that as you take this journey through Women's Rights with me, that you learn to truly appreciate the role of a womyn and what it means to not only be a womyn, but a black womyn in America. Sojourner Truth, born as Isabella Baumfree in 1797, was enslaved by a Dutch family just outside of New York City. Truth and her family could not read or write, but very quickly learned to primarily speak the Dutch language. It was not until about 1826 that Truth was able to escape to freedom with her younger son, leaving behind two children whom she would come back to get. Truth is most famously known for her involvement in the abolition of slavery and her participation in the 19th century Women's Rights Movement. In 1851, for the first time as an African American woman, Truth stood before millions and gave her famous speech, "Ain't I a Woman," at the Women's Rights Convention. And although known for its impact on such a great movement, the speech as we know it today was not the original text. In fact, researchers believe that wording and context was changed by a woman named Frances Dana Barker Gage. When asked why she made such changes, Gage stated that Truth's speech wasn't "strong" enough for such a movement; and her version was more "palpable" to Americans. It's ironic enough that during a time period where women should have been building each other up and paving the way for more women activists, Gage does just the complete opposite. To me, it sounds a lot like our current climate in America today. We praise the thought of tearing another womyn down but refuse to that same womyn for doing something that will benefit womyn all over the world. Is it not our job to help build each other up? What role do women actually play in society? And before all of that is considered, how do we define being a 21st-century womyn? Quote (the actual word quote will not be here, but the formatting is weird on this site so you won't be able to see how it'll actually look until I officially post) Being a woman means being supportive, nurturing (whether or not she has her own children) and spending most of your life proving to society that being a woman is the same thing as being a human. (Side note: Fu*k gender roles! Lol) -A wife and mother of 4 "What defines being a woman?" “A woman should be helped into carriages. Well, Ain’t I a woman?” During the late 18th century and early 19th century, women were seen as the glue that kept their households together. Women were strictly confined to the four walls of their homes, making sure that the children were fed, homework was complete, the house was clean, and dinner was ready for the family by a certain time each day. Women were seen as the shadows of their husbands and nothing more. They were not allowed to get an education beyond the basics, which gave them a disadvantage when it came to getting a job. Now that was the general thought of an average woman, imagine being a BLACK woman during this time. Her job was twice as hard as that of a white woman, hell black women were forced to nurse and raise not only her children (if she was allowed to keep them) but the slaveowners children too! Often times black women who were enslaved were force to have sex with their owners, and threatened to be killed if they said anything. (add more info) Being a woman in America means bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders. Being a black woman in American means that you not only bear the weight of the world on your shoulders, but you also carry the burden of not being taken serious when it comes to the workforce. Being a black womyn in America means carrying the burden of not being able to speak out about your feelings, with the fear of being labeled as "loud" "ghetto" or "obnoxious." Being a black womyn in America means being glorified only for your physical attributes, and knowing that the more curves you have determines how "sexy" you are to man. Being a black womyn in America means having to constantly prove why you're better qualified for a position that Becky with no prior experience will get over you. Being a black womyn in America means healing from trauma that you never received closure or an apology for. Being a black womyn in America.... yeah, it's a full-time JOB! Quote: "A womyn is strong, independent, & confident. Period sis, lol!" -A mixed womyn, mother of 2 "Removing "man" from WoMYN" “Where does your Christ come from? GOD and a WOMAN. Man had nothing to do with it.” -Sojourner Truth. Whether you're a religious person or not, I think that we can all acknowledge the birth story of Christ. He was born to a virgin, immaculate conception, God was his heavenly father and Joseph his earthly. So while Truth's statement is valid, it holds no weight in the actual processing of "life." Without a man, life would not happen as we know it, but I bet you womyn would be smart enough to figure out an alternative. For centuries, womyn have been forced to live in the shadows of a man. The creation of human life consisted of taking part of men's rib and placing it into the womyn. I get it, but why can't a womyn identify as her own being? Why is it that we can't identify "women" without acknowledging men. Men have always been the dominant of the two, and have dictated the life of womyn. From their right to vote, restricting them to only household duties, hell we even have old white men who are trying to tell us what to do with our bodies! I don't know about you, but the only man I answer to is GOD. Do they fear our dominance? Are they afraid that if given the right power, and training on how to use it, that women will become the superior? this was the point that Truth was trying to make, what gives man the right to dictate a womyn's life when they had no dealings with the conception of Christ? Now this is not meant to bash men, but more of a way to bring awareness to struggles that are often swept under the rug. Being a womyn, a black womyn in America, means being able to identify as your OWN self. Being a black womyn means being bold and speaking out on what you want to do with your body, without the fear of being persecuted for it. Being a womyn, a black womyn, yeah... it's a full-time job! Quote: She is able to hold her own, she is able to have a backbone, and she is able to stand up for herself. If she has children her moral and values about life, kids, and work. Oh, and her parents! As much as we don't want to admit it our parents play a huge role in the type of woman we become or think about becoming." -A wife, mother of 2 So what does all of this mean? Why does all of this matter? Living in an America where womyn, black womyn, are being forced into sex trafficking, being revoked of the right to determine what she should do after conception, being paid twice as less as the male, and seen as the inferior human it is important to understand what defines a womyn and everyday struggles that a womyn faces. With mental health awareness and conditions on the rise, it is important to remain educated and aware of such struggles. Take accountability for your own knowledge gain, and learn to be sensitive to such situations. I am forever grateful for Sojourner Truth and the work that she did to not only abolish slavery but to bring awareness to the Women's Rights Movements. And although her original text was edited and made to fit society's values, she preserved through and continued to share her message until her demise. With feminism on the rise and the #MeTooMovement at an all time high, I can't help but to notice similarities in Truth's fight and the fight of womyn, black womyn, today! And although we have come so far, we still have so much farther to go. Quote: "Being a woman is being confident, independent, dependable, caring, loving, and a nourishing person. One of a kind. One of the strongest people on earth. A womyn is the definition of sacrifice. We sacrifice our lives and our bodies for our husbands and children. A womyn is everything a more." -A Black Womyn So how do I define being a womyn in the 21st century? Easy! Being a womyn in the 21st century is being resilient, powerful, strong, dominant, beautiful, over-coming, intelligent, and most important not taking any sh*t from anyone. Being a black womyn in (revise the paragraph above about being a black woman; positive side) Now, ain't I womyn? Check out this Ted Talk, performed by Nkechi, that featured Sojourner Truth's speech, "Ain't I a Woman" Video will be posted here Nkechi (pronounced nnn-KAY-chee) is an actress, singer-songwriter, philanthropist and painter who has worked in theater, television and film. She received her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and attended American Conservatory Theater's 2012 Summer Training Congress. Recent feature film credits include IFC's "A
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Hey girl, hey!Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog! It is my hope that something I say moves you to be the best you that you can be! And as always, remember in wine there's truth! Categories
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